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Clickbait title -- the charge was for an emergency room visit, not just a bandage. Urgent care is generally cheaper.

Part of the reason that Emergency Room visits cost a premium is to discourage unnecessary usage.

An alternative way to look at it is that ER is able to charge exorbitant fees because the typical ER patient is at an extreme disadvantage in ability to compare prices or bargain. When you are bleeding out or unconscious, you are not exactly in a position to look up different hospitals' fees or call ahead to verify that the doctors on duty are in your insurance's network.

It’s really impossible to look up the fees even if you want to. They are in a spreadsheet posted online with cryptic codes associated with each charge. You literally need a degree in medical coding to understand it.

I didn’t understand my $1200 bill for stitches on my finger, even after I asked the hospital to explain it.

I’m really surprised there isn’t some legal mechanism to a) refuse to pay if the charges are not clearly billed or explained and b) the hospital has not sought some kind of consent for a procedure which would cost more than the patient would expect.

After all, why stop at $1200 for a cut finger? Why not $12000? Or $12000?

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